Wait, Go-Bots Might Get Their Own Movie?

After the massive success that has been had thanks to Michael Bay's Transformers movies, Hasbro is looking to bring a brand new set of robots to the big-screen - this time in the shape of the Go-Bots.

According to TFW2005.com, which is a Transformers fan page, Hasbro is hoping to compliment the huge success of Michael Bay’s hugely divisive franchise with these Go-Bots movies. The aforementioned publication has learned that on January 21st and January 24th, Hasbro applied for a new Go-Bots trademark that suggests they are looking to expand that franchise to cinemas. This new trademark would allow them to make money from the "distribution of motion pictures, on-going television programs" as well as "toys, games and playthings, namely toy vehicles and accessories for use therewith."

But who exactly are the Go-Bots? Well, they are a bit of a cult commodity nowadays. Between 1984 and 1985, there were 65 22-minute episodes of the Challenge of the Go-Bots cartoon series created by Hanna Barbera. These were devised to promote the original release of the Go-Bots toyline. If you are well aware of the Challenge of the Go-Bots television series then you can relive your youth by watching the clip below. If you’ve never even heard of the Go-Bots you should still watch the footage below anyway just to remind yourself how gloriously cheesy the 80s were.

There were numerous striking similarities between the Go-Bots and Transformers characters. In fact, even though the Go-Bots toyline had been inspired by figures produced by Popy of Japan, entitled Machine Robo, Tonka decided to alter them to match the Transformers line. Like their slightly more prestigious counterparts, Tonka’s lead characters were sentient robots. In their Popy of Japan guise, humans piloted them. The Go-Bots hail from the spectacularly named plant of GoBotron. And they were divided into two factions. The heroes of the series were called the Guardians, and they constantly went up against the evil Renegades.

In the mid-1980s, the Go-Bots were regarded as huge rivals to the Transformers, with toymakers Hasbro and Tonka going head-to-head in competition. However, that all changed in 1991 when Hasbro bought out Tonka. It was then established that the Go-Bots were actually from an alternate universe that was set within the Transformers franchise.

If Hasbro does proceed with their plan to work with another studio to bring the Go-Bots to the multiplexes, it will be following in the prestigious footsteps of the four Transformers films, G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Battleship and, most recently, Ouija. The company also has plans to bring movie versions of Jem and the Holograms, My Little Pony, Monopoly and Hungry Hungry Hippos to the big screen too! Who said that originality in cinema was dead?